Good Food Can Begin in a Container Garden

Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on July 9 2010, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Chef Keith Snow Grows His Own; Shares Secrets, Tips

Keith Snow is a TV host, cookbook author, and creator of Harvest Eating.com; he will present cooking demonstrations at The Edible Garden on July 11.

Many Americans want to take part in the harvest revolution and eat foods grown at home to ensure freshness, good taste, and reasonable cost. But what if you live in an apartment building—are you out of luck? Actually, no. Many people who live in urban areas around the country are taking part in the local food craze by growing food in containers.

Before you run out to the nursery to get started, consider whether your balcony or rooftop can handle the weight and whether your building permits it: A large container of wet soil can weigh 50–100 pounds or more. Multiply that by the number of containers you’d like, and check whether your site can handle the extra load. (If regulations do not allow for you to grow outdoors, you can certainly grow herbs indoors near a sunny window.)

Once you’ve resolved where to place your plants, you’ll need to decide what to grow. Some plants are perfectly suited to containers, others are not. I like to advise people to create a kitchen garden in containers that can produce herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, and peppers. These crops can thrive in containers and provide a lot of food and recipe diversity.

Growing herbs is a must, because homegrown herbs are less expensive and fresher than store-bought herbs. I suggest growing basil, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and sage. These will cover most of your culinary herbal needs, and they are all easy to grow. Some of the woody herbs such as thyme and oregano can overwinter outdoors in a pot and come back strong the following year. If they have southern exposure, they may produce just about all year long.

When it comes to tomatoes, a 10- to 15-gallon pot with a few stakes is all you need to harvest beautiful tomatoes all season long. I like to plant cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and a few types of heirlooms.

Lettuces are also a snap to grow, but keep in mind that they do not like too much sun or heat. Toss lettuce seeds into your container (I like half whiskey barrels), water, and wait 7–10 days for them to sprout. You can continue to harvest lettuce by cutting it about 2 inches from the soil; it will keep growing and growing, providing tender greens for weeks on end.

What you choose to grow and how well you succeed is also dependent on available sunlight. Tomatoes, herbs, and peppers need 6–8 hours of direct sunlight to thrive. Daily watering is also important in keeping potted plants stress-free and happy, which equals a good harvest.

When it comes to soil, I prefer making my own using the following ingredients, with percentages indicating weight ratios.

• spaghnum peat moss
• potting soil (organic) 20%
• perlite 20%
• vermiculite 10%
• composted manure 10%

All these products are available at any garden center. I simply mix them together in a clean garbage can, wet it thoroughly, and then load up the containers. This mix is light and airy, you’ll need a lot of water to moisten the mix. You’ll know when the soil is right for transplanting by squeezing a handful: If it falls apart, add more water; if it holds together, it’s just right.

If you follow these simple steps, your balcony or deck can be a great kitchen garden that produces valuable and healthy foods you can consume with great pride knowing you grew them yourself. When that bountiful harvest leaves you wondering what to cook, visit Harvest Eating.com for recipes and videos.

Note from the Botanical Garden’s Sonia Uyterhoeven, Gardener for Public Education: If making your own potting mix sounds daunting, you can find a high quality organic potting mix in garden centers. You may also want to add some compost or composted manure to your potting mix, which will benefit many vegetable plants.

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